Folding toothbrush



July 18, 1944.

FOLDING TOOTHVBRUSH Filed Dec. 10, 1942 6 Fly. 2

IN VEN TOR. MORRIS LANDESMA vv HTT'OR NE Y5 M. LANDESMAN I 2,353,963

Patented July 18, 1944 UNITED STATES TENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

My present invention relates to folding tooth brushes.

Tooth brushes, shaving brushes, and like toilet articles that must bekept clean and that become wet in use are difiicult for the user toprotect particularly if he travels for not only do suc articles when wetreadily pick up dirt, but also they may Wet clothing or other articles.This is particularly true of tooth brushes. While special containers areavailable, these are not wholly satisfactory as they are relativelylarge, easily lost, and soon become dirty or otherwise unfit for use.

In accordance with my invention, I provide a tooth brush that consistsof pivotally interconnected handle members of which one carries a brushelement and the other has a compartment disposed to receive the brushelement when the handle members are folded together. When the toothbrush is thus folded, the portions of the handle member adjacent thebrush element serve as a cover for the compartment ensuring theprotection of the brush element against dirt. Such a tooth brush may beeasily made and provides both protection of the brush element anddesirable compactness when not in use.

In the accompanying drawing, I have shown an illustrative embodiment ofmy invention from which these and other of its novel features andadvantages will be readily apparent. In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a tooth brush in accordance with my inventionin its unfolded position.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the tooth brush shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a partly sectional view of the tooth brush of Fig. 1 in itsfolded position, and

Fig. 4 is a section along the lines 4-4 of Fig. 3.

At I and 2, I have indicated handle members hinged together by the pivot3. The handle memher I has a slightly enlarged head 4 and supports thebrush element 5. The handle member 2 may be U-shaped in cross section toreceive the handle member I and to provide convenient means for thesupport of the pivot 3. To prevent the pivoting of the handle member ofthe tooth brush beyond the position of use shown in Figs. 1 and 2, Ihave shown the handle member 2 as extending beyond the pivot 3 as at 6to serve as a stop against which the handle member seats when the toothbrush is unfolded for use.

The handle member 2 is formed with a compartment I disposed to receivethe brush element 5 when the handle members I and 2 are folded together.Preferably, the rim of the compartment I is formed with a rib 8 to entera groove 9 marginally of the head 4 of the handle member I thereby toprovide a tight joint between the compartment and its cover establishedby the head portion 4 of the handle member I.

iii)

Preferably, I provide the compartment I with a resilient hook In toengage with the front part of the head 4 to lock the handle members Iand 2 together when the tooth brush is folded to protect the brushelement 5. The hook III may also be used to support the tooth brush.

Such a tooth brush may be readily made from any suitable material andnot only provides for the full protection of the brush element 5 againstdirt and the like, but also ensures maximum convenience to the usersince it is both compact and easy to clean.

What I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A folding tooth brush comprising a first handle member, a secondhandle member, means pivotally interconnecting one end of each of saidhandle members, the other end of said first member being fiat a brushelement supported by said flat end of said first handle member adjacentits extremity, and said second handle member including a compartmentadjacent its extremity disposed to receive said brush element when saidhandle members are folded together, said compartment having a rimextending entirely around it with all portions of said rim lying in thesame plane the flat end of said first handle member adjacent said brushelement constituting a cover for said compartment and being formed witha groove extending entirely about said brush element, and the rim ofsaid compartment being formed with a rib to establish with said groove atight joint between said cover and said compartment.

2. A folding tooth brush comprising a first handle member, a secondhandle member, means pivotally interconnecting one end of each of saidhandle members, the other end of said first memher being flat a brushelement supported by said fiat end of said first handle member adjacentits extremity, and said second handle member including a compartmentadjacent its extremity disposed to receive said brush element when saidhandle members are folded together, said compartment having a rimextending entirely around it with all portions of said rim lying in thesame plane the flat end of said first handle member adjacent said brushelement constituting a cover for said compartment and being formed witha groove extending entirely about said brush element, the rim of saidcompartment being formed with a rib to establish with said groove atight joint between said cover and said compartment, and saidcompartment including a resilient upwardly extending hook portion toengage with the extremity of said first handle member when said handlemembers are folded together and exposed to be engaged by the user topermit it to be readily released.

MORRIS LANDESMAN.

